December 17, 2019 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 17.12.2019, 20:00
1989 REVOLUTION – It was a day of mourning in the western Romanian city of Timisoara, which, 30 years ago, saw the first victims of the anti-communist revolution of December 1989. On the 17th of December, 30 years ago, the communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu ordered the use of lethal ammunition. On Tuesday the flags flew at half mast as a tribute to the people shot 30 years ago on the streets of Timisoara. The anti-communist revolution broke out on December 16 in Timisoara, which, on the 20th of December, became the first city free of communism in Romania.
BUDGET – The Countrys Supreme Defence Council on Tuesday gave a positive opinion on the proposed budget for the defence and national security institutions in 2020. The defence ministry is to receive 2% of the GDP, just like in 2019, a percentage agreed through a national political accord on boosting defence spending. The amounts earmarked for the other institutions with responsibilities in the area of national defence and security will ensure that they can carry out their missions and objectives, the presidents office said in a statement.
FILM – The short film “The Christmas Gift” by the Romanian director Bogdan Muresanu is on the short list of Oscar nominations for 2020. The film is a black comedy about the last day of communism, December 20th 1989, when a couple from Bucharest realise their 7-year-old son sent a letter by post to Father Frost, as Father Christmas was called at the time, in which he wrote his fathers wish to see the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu dead. The film was recently named the best European short film at the European Film Awards in Berlin.
NATIONAL BUDGET — The Romanian Finance Ministry on Tuesday made public the draft law on the 2020 national budget, based on a 4.1% economic growth rate, a 3.6% deficit and an average inflation rate of 3.1%. The project provides for increased allocations for defense, education, culture, home affairs and for the Labor Ministry and the Ministry of European Funds. Investment is put at 4.5% of the GDP, more than its level this year. Less money will go to the foreign affairs, agriculture, development and healthcare.
DEFICIT – The budget deficit level is to drop by 1.6% between 2020 and 2023, from 3.5% of the GDP next year to almost 2% of the GDP in 2023. According to a report on next years macroeconomic situation and the projection for the 2021-2023 period published by the finance ministry, the budget bill for next year is based on a 4.1% economic growth rate. The figure is significantly higher than the estimated EU average of 1.4% for next year according to the European Unions autumn forecast.
JOURNALISTS- 49 journalists were killed in different parts of the world in 2019 according to a report by the organisation Reporters without Borders, which emphasises that, although journalism remains a dangerous profession, this is the lowest figure in the last 16 years. This historic low compared with the average of 80 journalists killed in the previous two years can be explained, according to France Presse news agency, by a decrease in the number of those killed in countries with armed conflicts like Yemen, Syria and Afghanistan. The report also shows that 389 journalists were sent to prison for exercising their profession, up 12% compared with 2018. Almost half of the journalists sent behind bars are in three countries: China, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Also, 57 journalists are held hostage at the moment, most of them, like in 2018, in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Ukraine.
PENSIONS – The Labor Committee in the Chamber of Deputies green lighted on Tuesday a draft law removing special pensions for all professional categories with the exception of military and policemen. The project will be submitted to the Chamber of Deputies’ vote on Wednesday.
(Translated by Elena Enache)
